The Man From The Other Side
by HalloweenMoon
Summary: Peter may want to run away from his father, but he'll never abandon Olivia. My take on what should've happened after he checked himself out of the hospital. Rated K plus to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own nothing but the story I guess(?) I don't know you tell me...I wish I owned Peter though :)  
>This one's the only one from Olivia's POV :D<p>

**THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE**

_"I came apart inside a world made of angry people."_

The night caught me by surprise as I left the bar.

I spent what I thought was a few hours in the afternoon drinking, swallowing all the bitterness in with each sip, hoping I could forget, hoping this was a nightmare from which I was soon to wake up.

When Broyles phoned me to let me know that Peter had checked himself out of the Hospital, a sudden feeling of guilt surrounded me completely. I could avoid it only for so long, after all, I was part of the lie, it was me who had agreed to keep a secret that was not mine to know in the first place; I was the only one to blame, because I knew he trusted me, and I failed him, I betrayed him.

Little by little, all that guilt turned into something else, something even darker. Loneliness took over me, and I felt the emptiness, the hollow; he was gone and I was left alone, again. That is when I lost any track of time.

I realized that it was really late when I got home. The clock in the microwave's display was _screaming_ at me. I poured myself some coffee, and stared out the window. The rain was evil; madly hitting the ground, and every other surface it would find on its fall. It was one of those scary nights you only get to see in the movies.

Rach was lying on the couch with Ella; lucky for me they were both sound asleep, because I was hoping to avoid any conversation. I could use this embracing silence; I could really use a warm bath. I took off my jacket and put my badge and gun in the drawer, as I walked straight towards the bathroom.

_I could definitely use a bath._

I was about to take off the rest of my clothes, when the doorbell rang, and it felt like a hammer hitting on my head. Last time I checked it was 1:25 am. Who could it be now?

Just in case, I grabbed my gun…

"_If you're like me, you got a gun underneath your pillow"- Charlie Francis_

…and led myself to the door.

He was standing there, soaking, no longer trying to hide from the water drops, and in a deplorable state. He felt me standing on the other side of the door, spying on him through the peephole, and dedicated a smile. I opened the door and let him in.

Desperately, I began to talk, fast, millions of words coming out of my mouth, making no sense at all, trying to explain. But he was just there, staring at me. I guess he was expecting for me to finish a coherent sentence, but it never happened. "Hey, Don't Worry", he said, as he drew a smile on his face. "I understand, I don't blame you"; and his words were filled with sincerity, he made it impossible for me to hold back the tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"Right now, all I need is you, I don't intend to abandon you, _I couldn't be anywhere there wasn't you_", he said, while walking slowly towards me. I noticed he was still soaking as he approached me, trying to break the small distance between us, and excused myself to go get him a towel and, away from his stare, wipe away the salty water now running down my face. He just looked down in discontentment.

After a while, he was looking alive again, the pain in his eyes was still there, but his sincere look almost seemed to hide it. My oversize Northwestern tee kept him warm, and a bottle of booze made its effect, on both of us.

We talked for what it seemed to be an eternity, only to find ourselves suddenly out of words, only long pauses were left, a beautiful embracing silence.

I was enjoying it and so was he. It was comforting, warm.

"Listen, I want to keep this between us, please, don't tell my father that you know where I'm", and without warning he broke the silence, caught me completely off-guard.

"Peter, now, I know you're here, with me, but I _don't know what's going to happen tomorrow_"

And he grinned, "Olivia, I told you, I'm _only going to stay where there's you_"

I looked down, in an attempt to hide the bubbly of my face. Yet, I think he noticed, I could tell when he chuckled.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" he did not know he could ask me the world and I would go and get it for him.

"Peter, I'd offer you the couch, but it's taken", I said, while looking at Rach and Ella.

But he gave me a smile, again, and told me that it was not what he meant. He said he wanted me to go with him to his old summer house. He was losing it; I saw the despair in his eyes, for some reason, he needed to go there.

I couldn't say no, he had always been there for me, and if I was ever going to show him that I was sorry about lying to him, this was it.

"I drive"

On the way there his soul shut down again. I just glanced at him a few times, the alcohol was still in my system, running through my veins, blurring my vision _-or was it him?- _and I was trying really hard to focus on the road. I knew, in his smile I could have gotten lost. The rain had stopped, but the night was still terrifying, the darkness evil, as if it could swallow you in.

He remained quiet; trying to understand, he _needed_ to understand. All the memories he had, he couldn't tell them apart. I had no words to calm him down, to erase the pain that took over his eyes, that darkened his always bright smile.

It took him a few minutes to get off the car and make his way in. I followed.

Finally inside, he took a deep breath, he felt free again. The knot in his throat, the suffocating pressure, it all vanished. His eagerness to find the truth was gone, and for a while, he just stared out the window, as if the answers were out there. But out there, there was only darkness.

I told him to better go to sleep. It was a rough day, and we both needed to get some rest, and he complied; he lay down on the bed that once was his parents' and I sat on a big old armchair.t. He grabbed his CD player.

"You know, a friend of mine mixed this CD for me a few years ago, and I listened to it all day. He wrote "_Peter, From Boston_" on its case; it's the only thing, but you, that makes me feel like I belong here, that makes me feel real.

I then lay myself down next to him, and he held my hand, our fingers tangled.

The dark of the night embraced us, and induced us to a deep sleep dreaming.

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I open my eyes and barely turn my head left, only to find out that Peter is not here. I don't get too alarmed, he's probably downstairs. I close my eyes again.

An annoying noise breaks the silence, a constant rhythmic sound, like a pulse_. _

_A pulse_.

I notice I'm wired, strapped, unable to move. The lighting is cold and bright; fluorescents. The room is bereft of color and furniture, and made up of only four white padded walls. It is unfamiliar. I don't know where I am but I know for sure that I wasn't here _last night_.

And Peter…Where is Peter?

I hear somebody unlock the door and enter the room. She walks toward my bed, and looking away from me all the time, she injects something into my IV line.

As I feel the world slip away, I hear her say "She woke up, her vitals are stable", and descry the shape of an all too familiar man in the distance.

"Peter, Where's Peter?"

***TO BE CONTINUED***

_**A/N: Liked it?, Didn't like it?...Please read and review!. This is my first story ever so don't be too mean. I appreciate constructive criticism tho!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_I wanted to specially thank everyone who had reviewed this story as well as all the people that is currently following it. Thanks!_

_Ok, so this chapter is set in the Red Universe, so note that by Walter, I mean Walternate, by Brandon I mean Brandonate, and so on._

_That's all, off you go..._

**THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE**

**Chapter II**

"_She's the one for me, she's my one and only"_

His eyelids were impossibly heavy; he could feel the weight of the world on them. Every inch of his body was in excruciating pain, every single move, the slightest it might be, felt like the last one. The lack of food was taking its toll on him, and the lack of _her_ was both the cause of this irreparable damage, the emptiness in his eyes, as well as the only reason worth fighting for. He had to find her.

Olivia, the exceptional friend who had always been there for him, the exceptional woman who had been his reason to settle down despite his rebel nature, his reason to endure whatever unfortunate circumstance out of their control would knock on their door; she was keeping him alive, weak, and defeated, but still breathing. Once again, in the distance, she was his hero.

Peter batted his eyes a few times, forcing them to remain open, even when the surrounding darkness was demanding, inviting him to shut them. He had to resist. He had to be strong for her. He had to find her. The uncertainty was unbearable.

The cell he was being kept, caught by someone he did not know, was relatively small in proportions, cold, by the lack of any light source, and dark, gloomy, enough to eclipse that bright look that used to inhabit his eyes and never leave. This darkness was entrancing at first, embracing, only to turn into your number one enemy seconds after, a consuming feeling impossible to avoid, a negative energy that would never leave you. It was easy to get lost in it, allowing the worst thoughts hidden somewhere remote inside one's mind to let show, and take over. The silence was deafening, almost disturbing; it was driving him insane. He needed to hear her voice; he was desperately missing it, and even his _fa…_Walter's constant chitchat he set apart.

The tiled floor felt colder than it probably was, it felt freezing, making his whole body shiver, his teeth, fists and muscles clench, his ivory skin turn violaceous.

Peter tried to rest his weight on his arms, hoping to utilize the little strength left in them, pulling up from the floor slowly and carefully, then breaking and abruptly hitting the cold surface once, twice. He was unable to lift this sack of bones that now was his body off the rough tiles. After a few tries, he managed to stand on his knees first and then on his feet, stumbling and losing his balance for seconds though. The shiver would not leave, and the silence was yet so intense it was hard for him to stand straight. Exhausted, he left his body fall back until it hit one of the walls, resting his weight against it, and inch by inch sliding down. He sat huddled, wrapping his arms around his knees, placing his forehead on them, once again, closing his eyes and falling deep into his own misery.

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_Secretary of Defense's Office, Liberty Island_

Brandon made his way into the Secretary of Defense's office. He walked towards the center of the room and stood straight, arranging his suit lightly as he waited for Walter to turn and face him, his confidence reaching the sky, a hint of ambition and power thirst clouding his round eyes.

Walter was looking out the window, gone with the view, a postal of New York City, more than just _slightly different_ from the sparkling city one would think of; this one was half-destroyed, partially dead, drowned into a big solid bubble the color of amber.

He was frozen, as if analyzing his next move and predicting the opponent's in a chess game, tracing strategies and plotting some evil plan in his mind. A terrifying smile was drawn on his face, and it was impossible to hide it, the more he tried.

"Sir", Brandon let him know that he was there, trying not to sound too insistent. In his years as Bishop Dynamic's Chief Scientist and Personal Assistant to the Secretary of Defense himself had taught him that Walter Bishop was a man of few words, a brilliant mind, whose silences and pauses shall be respected.

Walter's eyes left the window to be placed on the young ambitious man now standing face to face with him.

"Any progress?" His words were cold, sharp, even intimidating, setting a distance so big it was not remotely feasible to shorten.

Brandon was not uncomfortable with it, though. Despite of the fact that he was, by now, more than used to his ways, he had always considered himself to be a younger version of Walter. And in many ways he was. He admired him. He longed to be like him. _He wanted to be him._

"Yes, Sir", and his answer was as well concise, but clear as water. "Everything is set. My team and I request the use of the power source to begin a series of experiments on him. I assure you, these tests won't cause any damage, the procedures are perfectly safe. No side effects were observed on the previous _12 subjects_."

"Do you understand how important he is?" Walter concerns were beyond the fact that _the source_ was his son. It was something completely different, something evil hidden in that aged, inscrutable face. Him being worried had nothing to do with his ruined and inexistent father/son relationship.

"I do, Sir. Let me reassure you, there's nothing that could put his special condition in risk."

"The future of our universe is on you, Mr. Fayette." And it sounded more like a threat than a demonstration of full, blind trust. "I'll send one of my agents to escort him to the facility."

Brandon nodded in agreement. He was already eager to perform these experiments on not any other ordinary test subject, but the power source.

"I want daily reports on the physical and mental condition of the subject, and on the results of every single test." He did not even make a pause long enough to hear the only answer he was willing to accept from Brandon, and proceeded; "You are dismissed."

"Agent Lewis, would you call Agent Dunham" The Secretary spoke into a small microphone connected to his earphone. "Send her in when she gets here"

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_Later that morning…  
><em>

A strangely dressed Olivia, her classic black jacket and pants now replaced by a red t-shirt and cargo pants and boots, entered the building escorted by two tall men, military. Their pace fast, the three followed another man, of older looks, that led them downstairs.

A long dark hall, that looked like more of a sewer tunnel than a hall, and that smelled just like one, was the only thing she could notice. In what it seemed to be seconds, they were at the door of his cell. The old man stepped forward, and unlocked the door, opening it, slowly.

The door stood ajar and let a halo of _light_ into his little dark box. Compared to the darkness he's been put through for… _(How long has it been?)_, the hall seemed extremely light, and warm.

He was lay on the floor that, hit by this _light_, did not feel that cold anymore, and there he remained, still, quiet, his breath almost imperceptible as he waited for whoever was visiting him to walk in.

A small shape, black in the backlight was all he descried, and it was enough for him to find the strength he did not know he had. He pulled off the floor, holding his now light weight on his arms.

"Olivia?"

"Sorry?"

She frowned, in misunderstanding. How did this man know her name?

He not only felt defeated, but looked defeated. His skin did not seem enough to cover his bones, and the dark circles around his eyes were more and more evident as he walked towards the door. _Towards her._

Olivia tried to keep a straight face, but she could not help but to feel sympathy.

She settled a forced smile on her face, hoping it would make her state of shock less evident, but her smile, what it was not comforting, it was nervous, and compassionate. A window to her soul. The reactions she tried to conceal were nothing but highlighted, intensified, obvious.

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_William Bell's Lab, Harvard, Cambridge, MA  
><em>

"Yes, Walter…No, I ran all the tests I thought necessary and all the results indicate that there's nothing special about her…She's a perfectly normal human being…No, I don't know why or how, all I know is that there's no observable evidence of anything that could have helped her cross over safely. Yes, she's been treated regularly with the formula. I myself gave her the last dose _yesterday_…Of course I did, why would you doubt me?...Yes, I'll have her transferred to Dr. Fayette's lab first thing tomorrow morning…I honestly don't think he'll see something neither you or I did Walter… Of course not, you know it as well as I do that if we didn't see it it's because it's not there…And tell me about the other boy… Alright…Yes…So the tests began this late morning? …Mm Hm…Any results yet?...Ok Walter let me know when you have something new on him."

Bell hung up the phone, and chewing one stick of Red Vines he crossed the lab and headed out the door. He walked along the hall to its end, standing in front of a small door so old and dusty it almost blended into the wall, then leading himself into the little white room.

Olivia woke up to door screeching as it swung open, and this time, head clear_, after not receiving large doses of heavy drugs for a while_, she was able to put a face and a name to the shadowy shape she had been seeing for what it looked like months.

_William Bell_

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A/N: Ok so I must say I loved writing this chapter. The story had gotten more and more interesting...IMHO at least.

And I've considered re-writing the first one, actually, cause I don't really like the first person narrative point of view, much to my Literature professsors disappointment, since they'd always encouraged me to take risks and play with the tenses and the POV's...

I don't know what yo think, I'm honestly kind of a newbie..so...

On the bright side, it's probably gonna be a little more than just 3 chapters., probably 4 or 5.

And, yes, I included Fauxlivia, but do not worry...I got it all planned

What else, oh yes, please note that the words in _italic_ are there for a reason, it's like the way I've found to headlight all those facts I think are important, and worth paying special attention to.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ok, so first of all, I'm so so so sorry for the delay, I've been procrastinating about writing...  
>So, well, I decided I had to make it up to you and wrote a long long chapter for you to keep yourselves entertained during these holidays...<br>Anyhoo, the first part of the story will take you back in time a little to the moment Fauxlivia meets Peter. I thought it was worth explaining what happened between them that morning. And well, then I pick up where I left off, which is, Olivia realizing that it was Bell the shape she descried while being unconscious all this time, the same day Fauxlivia met Peter, at night.  
>I've written the fourth chapter already so it should be posted really soon...<p>

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**THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE**

"_I still remember the world from the eyes of a child  
><em>_Slowly, those feelings were clouded by what I know now"_

Olivia stepped back until almost hitting one of the walls as the weak, barely conscious but now enthusiastic man that seemed to know her approached her. That mix of emotions and the chaotic flux of senseless thoughts that began to form the moment she looked into his darkened eyes, and the sadness in them, were still ruling her mind. It was impossible not to feel sorry for him, no matter how cold-hearted you would consider yourself to be. Even her, who could never define herself as "sentimental" or "emotional", if you will, was feeling the pain for him. It was disturbing. Olivia Dunham, Miss Rationality, was caught up by this man she never saw before. And it was getting in between her job, her professionalism, her capability to think clearly and make quick and right decisions.

Still sedated, Peter walked towards Olivia, holding out his arms, desperately trying to find hers but found it strange when she pulled away at the only sight of him moving forward, towards her. It was her, he had no doubt, but something about this Olivia standing right in front of him was different, maybe the hair cut? The bangs and the, despite the lack of light, certainly darker hair color?  
>No, there was something else, something in the way she articulated her words, maybe even something in the words she would carefully choose. The sadness in her eyes was disguised as something different than he remembered and the fear she felt and could not conceal the moment he leaned in closer, made it look like she did not know him at all.<p>

Olivia turned and looked at the two military men that have been following her and stood right behind her. She got another look in return that seemed to say more than a thousand words. Nodding her head slightly she let the men know they could now take him.  
>Peter's face was filled with fear and despair as he saw her take a few steps backwards and let the two tall men in. He tried to move to the back of the room, as if it would stop them from seeing him or catch him, but his poor effort was naturally hopeless. Each one grabbed one of Peter's now weak bony arms, holding him unnecessarily tight; he struggled but immediately realized it was impossible to let go of the two men's grip.<br>The oldest man led them out, Olivia walking right after him, from time to time glancing back at the two men grabbing a hold of an almost fainted Peter -who after a few tries at loosening their grip gave up- following her.

Almost reaching the exit, the sun hit his face and caused him to open his eyes. The sunlight was burning his eyes and skin. It took long to the pupils to adapt to this kind of light, the bright, warm sun, but once his eyes were able to tell the different shapes and forms in front of him and trying to find some reference point, something that would indicate where he was, he looked up, to be blinded again by a bright light that reflected from the two huge tower buildings' glass windows. It felt almost like looking directly at the sun. He tended to take his arm to his face in an attempt to cover his eyes but realized the two men were still holding him impossibly tight.

Something was not right. This could not be. Did he go back in time?

Olivia's voice brought him back from his thoughts as she signed a few forms and ordered the men to cuff him. Unable to fight anymore, Peter gave in and did as one of the men indicated, pulling his arms to his back and his wrists as close as he could, and heard the "click" that meant he was now cuffed. The other one went to sit on the driver's seat, as Olivia shook hands with the old man that escorted them inside, and with one last glance at him she turned to face the one man that stood by Peter's side, holding him by the cuffed wrists. Peter's state was still deplorable though the light that came in contact with his skin began to return to it its original color. His head was dropped down, his eyes, she could tell, batting unceremoniously. She took a few steps forward and stopped, standing less than two feet away from him, and went to observe him carefully, noticing every single and each one of the bruises, ligature marks, and other scars and colored blurs on the exposed skin.

His eyes were fighting to shut, and he was beginning to quit, even though he did not know if he was going to be able to open them again once they were shut for good. However, feeling her breath so close in his ears made them open wide, the warm air bringing him back to life. He looked down at the ground and saw not only the dark gray cement floor, but also her boots; and then looked up, until his gaze met hers. The look in his eyes was painful to watch, but his eyes were penetrating, almost demanding despite his weakness they could not hide. It was even hard for her to look away from them; when she finally did, she ordered the man to put him in the back of the dark green cargo van, and so he did, but when he went to get in there too, she stopped him, and she herself got in the back of the vehicle with Peter, leaving the man no other choice but to go sit on the passenger seat, in the main cab, with the other man waiting for them to set everything ready so they could move the prisoner to another facility the Secretary indicated.

The moment Peter stepped inside, he felt fine. The van only had one little window in each one of the doors, but the glasses were not exactly clear so to speak, and the light they allowed in was practically null. He had been locked up in that tiny, dark, 6x6 feet cell for long -he was not sure how long though-, so the darkness felt oddly embracing. He sat on the floor and let his body fall back until his upper body hit the inside cold metal wall, closing his eyes and getting lost in his train of thought, whilst waiting for _the man who cuffed him_ to get in. His mind relaxed in just seconds, and he quickly lost any track of time or reality.

When Olivia stepped inside she saw him unconscious, his face had a peaceful expression, but at the same time, to look at this poor man was painful. They had a long travel ahead of them so, knowing that the vehicle back doors were locked, and he was cuffed, and hoping to erase that image of her head, she closed her eyes, and took one deep breath; in just minutes, she was asleep as well.

They have been traveling for 30 minutes now, when she heard the phone ring in her ear. Incoming call. She pressed the tiny button in the earphone to answer.

"Mr. Secretary…Yes, Sir. We should be arriving at 1100...Yes, Sir."

Peter startled off as he heard the all too familiar voice, although at first her words sounded like more of a buzz than anything; then it got clearer as he regained consciousness. He could hear sentences and not just lots of words, spoken one after the other, unable to understand them.

Olivia hung up her phone by clicking the tiny button and saw him open his eyes and draw a smile on his lips, which she returned, shyly. She was trying to be the tough soldier she was trained for, but with him, that was impossible. He had this something…

He saw her mouth barely move, as if articulating a word and thought he heard her say something like "Hi", in a really soft, low voice. But maybe she did not even say it. Maybe those words never came out of her mouth. He was just trying to read his lips and picturing his Olivia say that. Maybe it was just in his mind.

"Where am I, what's this?" He almost groaned.

"I'm Agent Olivia Dunham, I'm with Fringe Division. You've been caught in Iraq, after leaving the country with state secrets that could have led to a terrorist attack. A group of Middle East men were caught carrying explosives and weapons of all kinds, about to hop on a plane they were planning to crash into the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2010. They set you up. You've been kept in the Liberty Island prison ever sin-…"

"Olivia what are you talking about? The World Trade Center? Liberty Island Prison? What is th- …?

"How do you know my name? Earlier this morning you called me by my name. How'd you know? I've never seen you before."

"Olivia it's me Peter" He claimed, he was desperate, trying to prove her that he was him and he was real. "Peter Bishop. What's all this?"

"Bishop?" Olivia found it definitely strange. It was not the name she's been given. At first she thought the man was having delusions, hallucinating. But wasn't it a coincidence, that he claimed his name was the Secretary of Defense's long ago kidnapped son's name? He was whether trying to get to her, or really saying the truth. But in his eyes she saw the resemblance. His look was far more innocent than the old man's, his alleged father, but it was there. Could he have been telling the truth? After all she did not make the arrest, and did not know anyone who was part of it. She had never wondered if all of that was true thus far, although the circumstances were odd. She had many friends and contacts at the U.S. Army and even Interpol. She should have known better.

"Peter Bishop, the Secretary's son Peter Bishop?"

"The Secretary? Look, Olivia, I don't know what's going on. What's wrong with you? I'm Peter, yes. And my father's Walter, Walter Bishop. Olivia please! What did they do to you? Don't you remember the other night? We were in my parents' old summer house? You were with me…When was it? A month ago?"

Olivia shook her head in denial. He sounded insane. Whoever he was talking about, it wasn't her. Of that she was sure. "That's impossible, no, that's just not…" She paused and continued shaking her head to the sides. "I'm sorry, that never happened"

"Olivia please!" He raised his voice and sounded irritated, so much that it scared her. The quiet man she felt sorry for was now furious, his eyes opened wide, and turned darker as his pupils dilated. His scream suddenly became more of a sob than he would have wanted, but did not try to hold it back.

"Every day for the past five years I've gone straight home after work. I live on my own, and I've never seen you before." She emphasized the '_Never_' in her last sentence. "And you've been in prison for the past five months. I don't know who you think I'm but I don't know you!"

The van stopped and both their bodies moved a bit forward, product of the inertia. Olivia quickly stood up as she could, since the roof of the vehicle was not that high, and took the keys out the pocket of her cargo pants. She kneeled in front of the rusty metal door and opened it, getting off the vehicle right that instant. She heard him scream and sob one more time, and glanced back at him for the last time before meeting the Secretary of Defense, and heard him whisper "You're not her".

Walter was informed the van that was bringing the "power source" in for research was out front, and met up with Brandon in one of the long halls, both walking towards the main entrance, then leading themselves out.

Olivia noticed Walter and Brandon escorting him, and nodded her head at him in sign of respect. She stood by the vehicle's side, parked approximately 30 meters away from the main entrance of Bishop Dynamic, and with waving her head she instructed the two men to take alleged Peter Bishop out of the van and towards the Secretary &Co. standing in front of them. They obeyed.  
>Her phone rang and she answered.<p>

"Good work Agent Dunham. You're off now"

"Thank you Sir" And like that she left, still thinking of all the nonsense -nonsense?- she heard come out of his mouth, calculating the possibilities of that being the truth, and shaking her head in denial every time her questions and possible explanations would tend to that conclusion.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

_William Bell's Lab, Harvard, Cambridge, MA_

Olivia was barely able to look around to see him standing there, a smile on his lips; the rest of her body was completely paralyzed.

"Hello Olivia. It's nice to see you again"

Olivia fought to get some air and let out some words, but she just couldn't, no matter how hard she tried.

"You're lucky Walter let me be part of the research…"

"Lucky?" She tried harder and managed to let out a few words in a whisper tone. Something hurt as she spoke louder. "I wouldn't call this lucky"

"Oh, trust me Olivia, it could have been worse. Now I want you to listen to me. I know you haven't been given many reasons as to why trust me, but you should know that what Walternate's planned is far worse than this."

"Walternate? Where am I? Where's Peter?"

"I thought you were aware of who Walternate was. Nina sent me a message, telling me that Walter explained everything to you."

"I know who Walternate is!" She almost cursed. "Why is Walternate here? Why are you here?"

"If I were you I'd be wondering what I am doing here, Olivia." He paused. Judging by his face he seemed to be enjoying the look of both distrust and amazement in her face. "You see, the night you and Peter went to their house, Walternate crossed you over here. He's got Peter as well. Walter is really worried. You need to go back to your universe, and take Peter with you"

"Really, _he_ is worried? Well he really should have figured that earlier, say, before lying to his "son" all along his life."

"Olivia, you don't understand, there're many things you don't know yet. This isn't just about Walter, this is about something bigger. You'll understand when it's time. Now we got to get you out of here"

"Oh really? Then why have you been keeping me drugged all this time instead of releasing me so I could go find Peter? And what is it that's so important?"

Bell ignored the last question, but was more than willing to answer the first one. "Walternate's been visiting and making sure everything was under control. I told you, you were lucky. He let me work on you, instead of Brandon. Make sure you tell Nina she must never trust him completely. I've seen what that young man can become. Back to Walternate, he's the Secretary of Defense here" Olivia giggled, that was just not right. "He's been keeping a close eye on you. I had to gain his trust. The moment I could avoid dosing you trust me I did. Right now for instance. But now listen to me carefully: You're going to be moved to Brandon's lab. He plans on doing all kinds of things to you, and Peter, although the most probable thing is that Peter will come out of his lab on his feet. I'm not sure you'll be as fortunate. But don't worry, I've set everything ready so nothing bad happens to you" Bell supplied some clear liquid into her IV line.

"And how am I going to find Peter and get out of here?" Olivia asked, demanding an answer, a clear, concise answer from Bell.

"Don't worry. I've made sure Walternate assigned the Olivia Dunham from here to move him from where he was being kept to Brandon's lab. I'm sure they've met by now. He'll be safe with her."

A bitter feeling ran through Olivia's veins. Jealousy. She went speechless. She remembered him saying that the only thing that was keeping him from finding a way to cross over and find his real father was her like it was yesterday. What if now that he had _her _here he was not coming back? And what was that so important that Bell mentioned? What was it that bad she had to stop?  
>Olivia's real reasons to worry about the other Olivia and Peter's little first encounter were disguised as some type of apocalyptic, existentialist concern. But she knew that the real feeling burning in her chest was the fear of being left alone, replaced by some other better version of her. She felt disposable in a way.<p>

"Olivia?" Bell was not sure she was conscious at all. The drug should take longer to make effect.

"Yes?" Olivia began to feel the world slip away as her eyes vaguely met Bell's.

"Can I ask you something…How…?" Almost under the complete influence of whatever drug Bell supplied her Olivia struggled to think and speak. "How are you so sure the other Olivia will help Peter?"

"Well I'm not sure, it's just a theory, but you and the other Olivia are genetically identical, you should think alike. I know you could never let him go, you'd do anything to save him, and, I believe, so would she."

That was enough for Olivia for now. Although with every word that would come out of Bell's mouth her fear would grow bigger and the number of heart beats would raise at an exponential rate.

She began to see everything around her turn black and fuzzy, but managed to keep her eyes open for a while, as she felt Bell lean over and whisper something in her ear, the man sure she could hear him, and was going to remember it later, when necessary; nonetheless she was falling unconscious and heard his words only as a buzz.

The last thing she noticed was her bed moving and William Bell's words pounding in her head.

"_You think alike." _

Would she fall for him too?

"_You could never let him go."_

Could she?

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

OK so what do you think? I tried not to reveal much cause I'm just like that ...kiddin' but I really like suspense...  
>Please read and review...let me know whatcha think ;)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Well this is a flashback chapter, to show you a little bit more about Walternate, to help you understand a bit more about his past, and to introduce a new character, Alt-Nina. I have to thank Vlada for all the valuable help and for pointing me in the right direction, as always. Without you I couldn't have possibly built this character. Thank you so much!  
>Well, one more thing to keep in mind:<em>_ this one, just like all the others takes place in the Red Universe, so when I say Walter I mean Walternate, when I say Nina I mean Alt-Nina, and when I say Bell I mean...well Bell; so let it not confuse you. Also note that unlike Nina from the Blue Universe, Alt-Nina still has her arm, and never had a relationship with Bell so he probablty didn't share the secrets of the universe with her, so she doesn't have understanding on that._

**THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE**

**Chapter IV**

**The Relationship That Never Was**

"_Was a cold day in December, the coldest one yet  
><em>_Do I want to remember? Do I want to forget?"_

The silence embraced her as she let the memories take over.

_December 14__th__, 1985_

It was one of those cold days the air alone would chill you to the bone, but there was something colder, it was despair, it was fear. The days and nights seemed not to be enough and the clock was ticking; he knew he did not have much time, for his son was closer to his death every minute. Walter Bishop was the head of a 20 billion corporation, Bishop Dynamic, dedicated to the development of the most innovative technologies; yet he was not brilliant enough –or so he thought- ; and Nina Sharp was, just like him, the head of another international company, Intrepus, also extremely prestigious in their business which was chemicals and experimental drugs. Both these companies were founded almost at the same time, and Walter and Nina became partners shortly after.  
>Though their relationship had always been strictly professional, for the past couple of months that Peter got worse it grew bigger on both of them. Walter would use every chance he got to free his chest, to shift the weight on his shoulders to throw off the pain; he would open up his heart and break in front of her, and she would listen, pleased. That is how every business meeting turned into a session of long talks and confessions, and they passed from seeing each other once a month, to seeing each other once a week, and so on. Some evenings, Nina would even go visit him after work, and spend long hours listening to him, talking, giving him some advice, or just watching him work ever so carefully. It amazed her how devoted to his family he was, even when he was spending more time with her than them; she admired him and had learnt to appreciate every side of him. And tonight was one of those afternoons.<p>

It had been snowing all day and the blizzard was making it impossible to even look out the window and not feel cold or sorry for the people outside, not that Walter would even worry to take a peek; he was completely and irrevocably focused on his task. The only thing he would pay attention to, but his Petri dishes and the board where he had written all possible elements and combinations; was her, his one and only friend, the one who knew more about him than he knew about himself, the one who knew exactly what was behind that mask he would wear to conceal the pain and the frustration, to show some strength he was sure he did not have. And that feeling of impotence was killing him, the feeling that his 196 IQ was not enough. Sometimes he would even throw everything on his counter away, metal trays echoing through the lab, but she would always be there for him, to calm him down, and encourage him to start fresh; and he would listen, just as if her words had some kind of divine influence on him.  
>That was how, once again, the night fell down and they found themselves alone, in the cold, yet warm and familiar lab, sharing some glances and some silences, but unlike every other day, this time, when the clock struck twelve and as usual she leaned over to hug him tight and say goodbye, he would not let go of her embrace; he grasped for her wrists, his face still buried in her. And it was undeniable; everything they needed was there, at the reach of their hands. Nina pulled back slightly, still not sure about what caused his reaction, if it was fear, or if it was truly worship and the need to have her in his arms, to leave everything behind and for once in a long time, forget, forget about all and let loose.<p>

She looked deep into his eyes, and saw the man she always knew existed behind that hard rock cover, the devastated, emotional, broken man she started to love; and she knew there was no turning back when he softly placed his hands on her cheeks, a soft caress that weakened her every limb, and the tears that had begun to form in the corners of his eyes streamed down his face. She closed the gap between them and kissed him passionately; that moment he vaguely let his arms fall to the sides, and gave in completely to this new found comfort.

* * *

><p><em>December 28<em>_th__, 1985_

In the dark of a fancy hotel suite, both their silhouettes would meet and become one. The clandestine of their relationship was legitimate there; in the dark of the night the pain in his eyes, the different kind of pain that began to inhabit his eyes the minute he got home and found out that his son had been abducted, would vanish, and only then she would be able to love him for who he was.

* * *

><p><em>April 2<em>_nd__, 1986_

She was lain on the bed, crying incessantly, heart-broken, his screams pounding in her head.

"_Walter you need to let him go! This is not working for you, you…you are not the one I used to know…"_

The tears were falling down her face like a cascade, and she was sobbing desperately. His face transformed; the only person he would feel comfortable talking about this with was treating him as if he wasn't making sense, as if he was insane; he felt let down and couldn't help but to scream furiously at her, blaming her for not being with him in this.

"_No, no you don't understand. He's in the other universe…I-I have to find a way…he needs me and I know where he is!" _

He sounded paranoid, the blue of his eyes was almost dark, some eagerness taking over them; it was something evil, something that was consuming him. He shouted at the room, throwing a lamp or whatever object he found getting on his way, and it scared her; his words were senseless. Another universe? She knew the sorrow was consuming him and ruling his mind, driving him insane; she had to talk him out of it before it was too late. He stormed out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind him ever so furiously.

* * *

><p><em>June 16<em>_th__, 1993_

"_This is it Walter, I can't take this anymore!_

_You're not the man I fell in love with! You're just… you say they are monsters…but you know what, you're no different from that!_

_I dealed with the fact that your politic career was more important to you than anything, even me, I dealed with the fact that you were never going to leave your wife even we you said you loved me, but this?... I can't take it anymore! You have changed and I don't want this man in front of me._

Walter grabbed his coat and left the room, left her behind. She stood there in silence. The words came out before she could realize and once they were out she knew how much harm they were going to cause. Those were the last words and that was going to be the last time.

* * *

><p><em>September 22<em>_nd__, 1999_

The Ambassador's Ball, was as every year, the occasion to bring every socialite and business and political personality together. The salon was crowded, and this year they counted with the special presence of Ms. Nina Sharp.  
>After their <em>break-up<em> Nina had decided to keep a low profile and stay away from the public spot; she resigned her position as CEO of Intrepus and named William Bell in her place, to avoid the necessary business meetings and the possibility of seeing Walter there. It was hurtful to see what he had become. She continued being part of the company, but only as a silent partner, and moved to D.C.  
>The same way, Walter had fully dedicated his life to his political career, and trusted his company to an old friend, Nicholas Boone, and to a young, brilliant-to-his-eyes scientist named Brandon Fayette.<p>

He descried her figure across the room; chatting and laughing gracefully, holding a glass of champagne in her hand, which she raised at him when she felt somebody's eyes on her and turned her head to see that it was him.  
>It was the first time in years she saw him. She was never over him, that's for a fact, but not seeing him all this time had definitely helped, although, being him a public figure and the Secretary Of Defense, she would always read some story in the papers, never giving much credibility to it but yet hearing or reading his name more than she would have wanted to in order to forget.<br>And later that night, under the covers lay Nina and Walter, their bodies and souls naked, giving it another try for old times' sake.

* * *

><p><em>Two days before Bell's conversation on the phone with Walter<em>

Going back down to Earth, Nina saw Bell still standing in front of her, demanding his answer. Nina was a big part of his plan and he needed her approval.

"William, I know, and like you said, I once had some influence on him, but he's not the man I used to know. I've tried to bring that man back, I tried and talked him out of every dark thought he had countless times, none of which he listened. And it's been years I don't have a real conversation with him. Our relationship is strictly professional."

"But this time it's worse. You're the only one, the only person in this world, who's uniquely qualified to get to him. And it's his son and the future of our world that's at stake."

"William what am I supposed to do? There's nothing in my power. He's lost now, and a few words won't cause him to step back and abandon his plan"

"Don't worry about that Nina, I have thought of everything.

Now, we still have time, you still can save him. But tell me can I count on you?" Bell's low husky voice was calm but demanding as he touched her soft spot. She wanted to save him. That's all one had to say to convince her, and a long silence told Bell more than a word could say.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _Can't help my WINA shippery :D  
>See you next chapter...liked it? Leave a review :D :D<em>


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Ok so, a new chapter... the big escape!  
>This time when I say Olivia I mean Olivia, Blue Universe, blonde Olivia, except for the last paragraph in which Olivia means Fauxlivia. Just so we're clear, though I gave some references such as golden hair or red hair and bangs.<em>

**WARNING:** _This one should probably be rated T for Violence and some cussin', though it's very slight...but you know, just to be safe_

* * *

><p><strong>THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE<strong>

**Chapter V  
><strong>**Influence  
><strong>

"_What happened to us?  
><em>_What happened to me?  
><em>_What happened as I let it slip?"_

Peter opened his eyes softly. First, all that he could see was a big blur that then dissipated as he batted his eyelashes a few times. He tried to move and found out that he was strapped down to a bed, more like a hospital bed, and struggled to try and free his arms and ankles though it was pointless.

"Activity Levels?" A man spoke, his voice was low and serious; Peter tilted his head to the side and immediately recognized him. Brandon. But not the Brandon they used to know, the one whom he had worked closely once trying to save hundreds of lives by evacuating a glimmering building. No, this man was not him, just like Olivia, he seemed not to remember him or anything about the life they had before that blank. _Has there been a life like the one he remembered at all?_ Shaking his head out of that thought he realized that there were other people in lab coats running around, checking the monitors and somewhat processing all the data.

"No activity Sir" One woman finally spoke. Judging by her voice he assumed she was a 40 year old woman, not younger than that.

Brandon sighed and it was obvious that he was holding back the desire to sweep the table clean and throw everything that was on it to the floor Instead he paced across the room holding his pen in one hand and a syringe in the other one -Peter's eyes following his moves- thinking of what to do next and of all possible ways to tell the Secretary that they had come up with nothing.

"Everybody out" He shouted at the room while injecting all the contents of the syringe into Peter's IV line, and making everyone there drop their files and pens on one counter and leave him alone in the lab. Brandon sighed again and taking a look at the pages of Peter's file his face was filled with misunderstanding. He had always been extremely confident and in a way always felt special, like there was nothing he couldn't do, but this time it was bigger than him. Letting out a sigh he exited the room, taking a last look at Peter who was now unconscious and turning down the light, the neon blue fluorescents fading to black.  
>Both his hands in the pockets on his lab coat, Brandon walked down a long hallway and into another lab.<p>

* * *

><p>Olivia tried once again to open her eyes; her eyelids were impossibly heavy, though it was no surprise. Every day for the past…<em>months? -Probably-<em> she had open her eyes for a few moments, feeling the same way, sick and dizzy, watching as the world around her spun round and round. This time though, the room was different, the bright white that used to blind her was gone, replaced by dark walls and neon blue lights. Where the other room was bereft of anything but her bed and a few monitors, this one was filled with anything creepy one could ever imagine. Counters and more counters, with God knows how many lab instruments on it; and walls fully covered with shelves, millions of bottles containing colorful drugs on each one of them. Next to her bed there was another auxiliary table; scalpels, forceps and even scissors on it.  
>And she began to experience synesthesia. It was almost as if by just looking at the silver instruments she could taste the steel, smell metallic and feel the cold of it in contact with her skin. To be honest she was starting to miss the other room.<br>She groaned and tried to think about what Bell said, that everything was going to be fine, that he had it all set, but then she didn't see how it was supposed to be so; it's been two more days and she was still strapped to a bed and in Brandon's lab now. She blinked her eyes when she felt them dry, but this time they remained close for a few seconds longer then they should have and a sudden image crossed her mind; it was like a flashback, so sudden it made her –try and- start off the bed, the straps keeping her in place though and the friction surely bruising her skin.

"_Olivia you are going to be safe…"_ The image of Bell leaning over to her ear to tell her something in a whisper voice triggered this memory she didn't know she had. Her heart rate increased, she could almost hear the blood running through her veins, fast. Another flashback forced her to close her eyes.

"_Brandon thinks…the drugs…Nina Sharp…they won't…"_ The door marked _2A_ opened and forced her to come back to reality. The second flashback was rather confusing; it was all in parts she couldn't put back together. Brandon approached her wearing the most evil smile on his lips, and observed the red blur on her skin product of the struggle. His smile went just bigger, and he grabbed something from the auxiliary metal table; Olivia's eyes filled with anger, and fear, and also despair; she rolled her eyes and glared at him, sighing loud and letting out a mocking sound; she really thought he was in many ways pathetic and had to let him know that.

He ignored her completely and proceeded, placing one hand on her face and trying to open her eye; she tried and refused but it was in vain; she even turned her head to the sides, but the straps, especially the one keeping her neck in place made her poor attempts null. He once again opened her eye as wide as possible with his thumb and index finger, and with the other hand took the instrument -that luckily turned out to be just a light pen- and shone it, checking her not-as-dilated-as-expected pupils. Maybe Bell was right, maybe she was simply special and there was nothing observable that would indicate what that was that made her special, Brandon thought; even in his rational scientific mind a non-rational thought was beginning to form, which he quickly shook away; no, it was not possible. It's not real unless you can see it with your own eyes. Maybe a higher dose, he thought; after all, the sedatives weren't apparently having the effect that's to expect either; the _benzodiazepine_ that had always worked for him on every other patient had the same effect of a mild sedative such as _diazepam _on her.

The light pen blinded her and triggered another flux of memories. The images flashing faster this time, making her fall into subconsciousness. That night lying on Peter's bed, him holding her hand, the bed, the white room, William Bell whispering, the stretcher being moved by those men, her unable to do anything about it, and then that blinding light when they finally crossed that door.  
>Olivia opened her eyes abruptly.<p>

_My friend Nina Sharp's company supplies Bishop Dynamic with the drugs. I took care of everything. Brandon doesn't know_.

The words were displayed on her mind impossibly faster. Yet they were somehow printed on it like words printed on the pages of a book, pages she could mentally see.  
>With a deep, loud sigh she tended to sit, but once again the straps stopped her almost involuntary reaction to that shocking stream of images and words running through her mind; and something began to form in her stomach, something that burned, the contents of her stomach hurling up her pharynx and to her throat. Nausea. She took a deep breath and forced herself to keep it down.<p>

The room was dark and silent, no one was there anymore, which she found certainly strange, though after remembering Bell's words she assumed they might have thought that her state of unconsciousness would last longer.  
>Olivia remained quiet and perhaps a little more calmed now though she still didn't trust William Bell fully, but there was always the chance he was saying the truth, and, if so, she should start figuring a way to fool them and escape.<p>

It seemed to be hours until the metal door opened. She closed her eyes and pretended to be sound asleep, unconscious. Brandon walked into the lab where she was being kept escorted by three other men in military uniforms.

"Set her up. The Secretary is on his way to see her." He said to the men, who after hearing his instructions decidedly walked further inside the room and towards Olivia, and started to unstrap her, who stood still, frozen as she heard their footsteps closer and felt their hands on the straps pulling and then loosening them. Brandon walked out of that lab and down the hall going out of sight as he entered the other lab where Peter was to check on him. Less sedated but still unable to think one hundred per cent clearly, Peter couldn't speak or curse, but he sure did glare at him.

In the other lab the men had already unstrapped Olivia and were keeping an eye on the unconscious woman, waiting for the Secretary to arrive for his appointed visit. They turned their backs to Olivia when Brandon walked back into the lab. Olivia's senses were more acute than ever; just by hearing the sound they made when they turned on their heels she knew it was her moment, it was now or never. The three men were blocking Brandon's sight, and since they were watching at him as he stepped forward, for a few seconds no one was paying attention to Olivia, nobody knew that she was awake, completely conscious and carefully grabbing a scalpel and scissors off the auxiliary table.  
>Without standing up she took a deep breath and in one quick motion thrust and stabbed one of the men first, burying the scalpel in his back, blood sipping from the wound.<p>

It took him a few seconds to understand what had just happened and before he even could he fell to the ground. The other two and Brandon saw the man faint away and right before they could turn around and see she sat on the bed and quickly kicked another one, making him trip and fall over Brandon. The only man by her side first looked at his colleague and Brandon on the floor, and then turned back to try and content the situation, but Olivia had already grabbed a heavy tray with which she knocked him unconscious.. Thinking quickly she took the handcuffs that were meant for her and his gun and aimed it at Brandon and the third man, who were slightly confused, still conscious, thrown on the floor. The military man tended to take his hand to the holster but Olivia didn't think twice and shot. It was kill or die, she was sure.  
>Brandon, still on the floor, put his hands up and gave up; he couldn't deny now that the Secretary was right after all; they were monsters, and you wouldn't want to upset them.<p>

"Now you son of a bitch tell me where's Bishop, Peter Bishop!" She sounded angry, and warning. Brandon's eyes froze, and he didn't open his mouth, probably because of the shock. "Now!" This time her voice was sharper and made him startle; at this slight move Olivia immediately aimed the gun at that spot between his eyes, and always aiming it at him she walked over him. Grabbing him by the wrist with her free hand she _made him_ stand up on his heels and checked his pockets looking for any gun or anything that could ruin her escape. She placed the gun on the back of his head and waited.

The long silence was interrupted by a _click _when she loaded it up. "Where's Bishop? Quick!" She pressed it against his skull.

Brandon spoke, breathing unevenly. "The last door down the hall"

"Come on" If Brandon ever thought that she was going to let him go after he had spoken, he now knew he was wrong. She handcuffed him and walking behind him, holding him by the wrists with one hand and pressing the gun against the side of his neck with the other one, she ordered him to lead her to Peter's. She didn't trust him blind. Bell said that supposedly the other Olivia would help Peter escape as well, so this could easily be a trap, but still she couldn't leave without making sure he wasn't there too, receiving the same treats or without taking him with her if so. She wouldn't allow herself.

"Here" Brandon stopped in front of the door, and Olivia kicked it open, still behind Brandon, just in case there was somebody there and she needed a hostage. What she saw inside was however a million times more pleasant, yet painful. Peter was strapped to the bed, in a similar condition as she was before her breakthrough. She quickly walked Brandon into the lab and shut the door; Peter's face brightened up at the only sight of her, deplorable as she was looking, in that pale blue hospital gown that looked like more of a sack of potatoes than anything else.  
>Her smile grew bigger when she saw that he was conscious, that he was all in all fine, alive and not dissected or anything like that. One of the monitors began to beep madly when his gaze met hers.<p>

"You, you are the missing piece" Brandon sounded completely paranoid and an insane grin formed on his lips. With the back of her gun Olivia hit him in the head and saw him fall unconscious and hit the ground before her.

She approached Peter and began to unbuckle the straps. "We need to go. We need to go back"

Finally releasing him she didn't even wait for him to stand up by himself and grabbing him by the shoulders and forearms she sat him straight and hugged him tight. "Peter…" He buried his face in her neck, with one hand brushing her golden hair, and he knew this was her, his Olivia. It was funny how now that she was standing right next to him the other one looked so…different, so surreal.

"Olivia…" He sighed. Now pulling back and looking deep into her eyes to make sure she was real he smiled widely only to become serious again, serious and worried. "Olivia where are we?"

"An alternate universe…your father…" A siren began to wail loudly over the entire building and she knew they had no time for that now. They needed to run.

"Come on Peter we have to go" She put out her hand and grasped for his; he took it and held it tight, standing up on his heels and following her as she walked them out of that lab and into the hallway that was not dark anymore, the blue and red lights turning in and out, and the flashlights being used by the guards that were after them lighting it up for moments.

* * *

><p><em>Olivia's apartment, Brighton, MA<br>__Two hours before…_

Olivia was sitting on her couch, having a bowl of cereal while listening to some _jazz_, trying to free her mind from the same thought that had been haunting her for two days now. All her previous efforts were in vain but she was kind of hoping this time it would work.  
>His eyes, his face when he saw her, the emotions she could read in his eyes, it was all real, she could swear it was all real. Something was telling her to go save him, and it was utterly absurd but that need kept growing on her until she finally figured that the only way to get it out was to follow her hunch and go find him. She had to.<br>And so she did. She tied up her red hair and pulled the bangs back, to try and go unnoticed, and grabbing her car keys she headed out.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:**_Well, I hope that was exciting enough :D  
><em>_Please note that Brandon and those three military men are not THAT stupid. I tried and detailed every move, every little thing but the truth is that it all happened in a matter of seconds...It's just that when I re-read it for the hundredth time I happened to realize that it sounded like their actions were almost screaming "do you want to run away?", but no, it happened in just seconds or less..._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**_Thank you so much to Vlada for always pointing me in the right direction and for listening to me ramble about every possible thing you could imagine )  
>Huge thanks to everyone who suscribed to this story and liked or reviewed it! It's much appreciated :D<br>Okay, this is a long chapter, but I think it's an easy read so...Olivia(italic) means Fauxlivia; _Olivia(regular) _means our Olivia_

* * *

><p><strong>THE MAN FROM THE OTHER SIDE<strong>

**Chapter VI  
><strong>**Wandering**

"_And run from them, from them, full speed ahead  
><em>_(…)They echo me in circles"_

Olivia ran in all directions, Peter following her and occasionally helping her beat some guard out of their way. They turned to the left and to the right several times, but couldn't even manage to leave that floor, it was almost like a labyrinth, all paths led to a wall or another door that led to another hall, and it was endless. The sirens were still wailing and the red and blue lights still twinkling, making it impossible to see clearly and move. The only way they had to see if there were men in dark green cargo suits after them was their blinding torches.  
>Finally, after wandering around for a good 10 minutes they found an elevator, and noticing that at least three guards were almost reaching them, they began to almost hit the button until the elevator door finally opened and both of them stepped inside, praying the door would shut fast enough. And it did.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Bishop Dynamic Experimental Campus, outside.<em>

_Olivia_ arrived at Bishop Dynamic and got out of her car, the same way she had done two days ago, but not quite; this time her car was parked a few miles away, hidden deep into the woods, and she was not on duty, but undercover, her hair was tied up into a tight bun, her bangs pinned up, and the cap of her hoodie on her head. She climbed up the fences, one hand almost glued to her holster as she contorted her body, just in case she had to get her gun quickly, and then jumped down and into the property. With a thud her feet hit the ground but in the dark of the night and with the sirens echoing through the whole place she was sure nobody heard it or saw her. She crossed the lot and moved towards the main building, this time with her gun loaded in her hand and her knees flexed to the point she was almost crawling; she moved around the perimeter until she found a back exit and aiming her gun she made her way in.

It was dark inside, and she tried not to turn on her torch so no one would see her, but her senses were hardly as acute as the other Olivia's, who she didn't know was being kept there as well, trying to get away with the man she came to save at the time. A man's elbow hit her in the back of her head and knocked her unconscious for a few seconds, though where she wasn't as perceptive as her alternate she was strong, and fast, and she had an aim like no other. Quickly grasping for her gun she grabbed it and without giving much thought to it shot it. A clean shot right to the attacker's heart ended his life the moment the bullet made contact.  
>The room was apparently deserted and she kept walking deep into its darkness until disappearing completely.<p>

* * *

><p>-4<p>

-3

-2

Still in the elevator, going up, Olivia tried to load up her gun but her shaky hands wouldn't let her. Peter carefully and at the same time quickly held them still and helped her, until he heard a click meaning her gun was loaded, and she smiled in thankfulness. For a few seconds they just stared at each other, their eyes could only show their fear, their anxiousness, their need to get out of there. They were terrified, and they could tell by just looking in their eyes. Looking away from each other they set their eyes on the elevator display. They heard the ding of the elevator; the door opened and they stepped out.  
>Peter took her hand, walking first, Olivia covering his back, gun in hand. This floor was dark as well but at plain sight not crowded, there weren't people walking through the halls, though she was always afraid someone may come so she kept aiming her gun back. They walked down a hallway until they found a door, a big red sign above it. <em>Emergency Exit.<em>

They quickly opened it, and decided to climb up the stairs that should lead to the -1 floor, but before they crossed that door a group of men were after them again, and they had to fight them and try to run all at the same time. Peter climbed up a few steps and noticed that she was still by the door, throwing punches and kicks.

"Peter go!" She threw her gun at him, and he only stood still, frozen, not sure of what to do next. "Go, Peter, run!" Looking at her one more time he turned around and climbed up the last few steps until he made it to the -1 floor. Not that he didn't think she was capable of defeating those men, in fact, if someone were to beat them down then that would be her, but he was still worried; they had, after all, managed to keep her here for as much as they kept him, but she had always been the stronger one, the one who carries the gun.. He was about to turn back when he saw her running towards him.

"Come on!" Honestly, Peter didn't listen, but he could read his lips. The sirens wailing were making it impossible to hear any other sound.

She followed him and leaned in closer to his ear to make sure he could hear her. "Peter we need to find William Bell"

He ran, until he found another set of stairs and turn around to hold her hand but she wasn't behind him anymore.

* * *

><p><em>Olivia <em>saw as the men shot their _tranq_ _guns_ and took down one of the two people they were after. With her silenced gun she shot them and made herself some time to check on whoever was shot and find the other who wasn't. She ran over to the body lying on the floor and checked _her_ vitals, pulling her hair back and placing two fingers on her neck. She was breathing. In the dark and without paying attention to her face she removed the dart from her back and palmed her cheeks a few times trying to make her react, but she didn't, so she abandoned her to run after the other one who escaped.

* * *

><p>Peter turned around, decided to find Olivia, wherever she was.<p>

"Get down!" He heard the gunshots and an all too familiar voice shouting at him and tackling him.

She held out her hand and he grasped for it, but at the instant touch he knew it wasn't her. "Come on we've got to get out of here!" She grabbed him tightly but he showed reluctance to move.

"Where's she? Olivia…where is she?" _Olivia_ didn't understand that when he said Olivia, he meant that the woman she checked on before was named Olivia, just like her, because, in fact, she was her.

"She's alive but they got her. We have to go. Come on!"

They walked upstairs and pulled the heavy metal door in front of them open, the back exit, the same one _Olivia_ used when she entered the building less than half an hour ago. Peter just followed her, having no reactions at all, just doing as she said. She even thought she was going to have to help him climb up the fences, but with a "_We're coming back for her_" coming from her and one last glance back he pulled it off. They ran the few miles left to her car and disappeared into the darkness of the woods.

They walked fast, almost at a running pace; Peter was still half numb and stumbled a few times, until they finally found her car and Olivia stepped into it, quickly starting the engine, and waiting to hear the door open and see him get in the car as well.

"Hey!" She yelled at him, but Peter was almost deaf and completely gone. The adrenaline from the escape caused the fluids in his stomach to whirl and his head to explode. He was motionless, reactionless, both his hands on the hood, holding his weight, and his head dropped down.

At the lack of response _Olivia_ got off the car and approached him. "We need to go, come on" Her tone was much softer now; she tried not to speak too loud or sound too bossy cause he was not head clear at the time. Carefully, she held him by the shoulders and opened the door for him, helping him get in the car.  
>Before cranking the ignition she removed the tracker in her car. At the sound Peter turned his face to watch her moves, quickly looking away and tilting his head to the right to stare out the window.<p>

"This way they won't find us. Sooner or later they're gonna want me to be here to investigate your escape" _Olivia_ felt the need to explain, though he never looked away from the window, his eyes literally glued to the view, that dark, black as charcoal view.

After a few hours of driving in silence, _Olivia_ was surprised when she saw him turn his head to her side and speak. She honestly thought he was asleep.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, his voice was so low and calm, yet it transmitted so many feelings it was almost painful.

"I- I don't know. I just…" That was a good question and something she hadn't asked herself before: _Why_? If there was something they had in common with the other Olivia, then that was their impulsive nature. "I guess there's something about you. What you said…I believed you. You-you don't belong here." She was being rhetorical though her statement couldn't have possibly been more accurate.

He looked down. No, he didn't belong there. Neither did _his_ Olivia. And all of that was driving him insane. He quickly changed the subject of the conversation. "Where are we going?"

_Olivia _swallowed hard. Funny she hadn't come up with an actual plan. She had to figure it out right that moment. "I know a place where we can hide until-" Peter cut her off, remembering what Olivia had said earlier that night.

"I have to find William Bell"

* * *

><p><em>Bishop Dynamic, in the meantime<em>

The Secretary made his way into the main building, escorted by his men. Immediately one agent came closer to his side and began to explain the situation.

"We had a security breach. Three intruders broke into the building at around 1 am" The man started to speak, assuming that the three people they had run into were intruders; in theory nobody knew, but Brandon and a few other scientists, that two of them were being experimented on, in that very facility, which caused Walter to smile in his head. The man proceeded. "Two of our men died and four are wounded and in critical condition. We haven't been able to identify them although some of the people under my charge who had been in the same room as them could confirm that the shooter was a female." He kept talking as they walked down a long hall. Walter just listened, his forehead wrinkled, his expression rough and serious, his eyes pitch dark. "She ran away with another man. We haven't checked our database yet but we'll soon know who that man was. One woman couldn't escape, however." When the man was done Walter looked down at him and that was all that it took for the man to leave his side and go back to work.

He kept walking at a fast pace to stand in front of Brandon who was waiting by the end of the hall. With an almost unnoticeable gesture Walter dismissed his men.

"Sir. Despite the latest unfortunate events, you'll be happy to hear that we've finally been able to identify the last piece of the machine" Brandon signalized the door to his left and invited the Secretary in. Olivia was strapped to a bed in almost vertical position this time, still unconscious under the effects of the tranquilizers. Walter stared at her, a grin on his lips in satisfaction. He looked away from her when Brandon handed him a few notes and some papers he had just printed.

"I was there when it happened. The moment she walked into his room the monitors started to beep, his heart beats were increased, his heart rate became synchronized with the machine's frequency." Brandon said, as he printed more pages, taking a vague look at them before handing them over to the secretary. One in particular caught his attention.

"Sir, there are no drugs in her system" Once again Brandon began to doubt his rational nature, he had made sure she got all the doses suggested but yet, none of the drugs were observable in her blood stream; even if they were absorbed, there should have been some chemical residues in her blood, but no, there was not even a trace of them.

"Excuse me, Dr. Fayette?"

Brandon quickly took a sample of one of the drugs and ran it into the electronic microscope. Stunned, he took another sample of another drug. The results were the same.

"Sir, there's something wrong with the drugs" Walter approached him and looked into the microscope.

"Saline? How is that possible? Doctor, had anybody had access to the compounds?"

"No, Sir, just me." Brandon swallowed hard, he was responsible for all of this and the Secretary's face scared him.

A thought crossed Walter's mind. Nina Sharp. The only person who had tried to talk him out of everything he had tried, even when she didn't know what it was about. Nina Sharp. The owner of the company who provides his with all the drugs, and the one in charge since his _acquaintance _William Bell retired to dedicate his life fully to scientific research.

* * *

><p><em>Marilyn Dunham's house, Tarrytown, NY<em>

_Olivia _made her way in first, and then invited him in. She turned on all the lights and started to roam around the house nervously. There were so many things she hadn't figured out, so many things she wanted to say to him, so many things she wanted to do to help him and so many consequences if she did.

Peter just let his body fall onto a couch as she did.

"I think I'm gonna need your help" She finally found her first words. "We um, we have subcutaneous trackers. If I'm gonna help you then you're gonna want to help me too and remove it" She paused. "You can take a bath if you want first, but you know, the sooner the better"

"No, I'll- Get some cotton, alcohol, a sharp knife and some ice. It'll only take a few moments"

She did as he said, and sat on the coffee table next to him still sitting on the couch. He began to remove the little device from her neck.

"Who is she?" She began her little questionnaire to keep herself distracted. He placed the bag of ice cubes on the side of her neck. The cold made her shiver.

"I'm sorry" He apologized. "We don't have anesthetics here. This is the only way for you not to feel the knife or the alcohol burn your skin." He tried to act like he hadn't heard her question, but she remained silent, as if waiting for an answer. "She's a person I care about very much. She's a lot like you…" He paused and watched her as her face transformed when she saw him grab the knife, scared. "Or maybe not, maybe you're nothing alike" Disappointment filled his eyes as he continued performing his little surgical intervention.

Despite of the fact that her neck was so cold it was numb, she felt the knife slowly cut her skin open, and the feeling made her muscles clench. She kept talking to avoid being aware of it. "So you're Walter Bishop's son? The Secretary's son?"

Carefully, with the tip of the knife he removed the small tracker and put a small ball of alcohol-soaked cotton on the wound. "I'm Walter Bishop's son. But just not the Walter Bishop you know. My father would never lock me up in a cell for months or strap me to a bed and perform experiments on me. That man is not my father. My father where I come from doesn't own Bishop Dynamic either, for instance"

"Where you come from? What do you mean by that?" He kept pressing the cotton against the wound.

"It doesn't matter now" He changed the topic. "What time is it? We need to find Bell." He rose from the couch and walked towards the center of the room, waiting for _Olivia Dunham_ to stand up and take him wherever he wanted to. He really hadn't thought of it well.

"Hey, I'm helping you. I deserve to know the truth at least" She demanded.

"Look, if I'm not telling you, it's because I know what you would think of me. You would think I'm insane. And I personally don't know if I'm not."

_Olivia_ let out a mocking sound, and grabbed her car keys. "Why William Bell? He _is_ the head of an international company, a multi-billionaire company actually; and he's a prestigious scientist, a very important person. What makes you so sure he'll want to see you? Really…you must think the whole world is at your feet." She protested, still heading to the door.

_Certainly not this world._ Peter followed as he spoke. "Olivia said-" Now the _Olivia _in front of him turned to face him, astonished.

"Who?"

"Olivia, the one I was running away with, she said that I have to fi-"

_Olivia _felt a rush of blood to the head. It was just as if everything started to make sense and at the same time not. The first time she saw him, the reason he knew her name, how he expected for her to recognize him, and the previous explanations as to where he comes from or who's his father he gave her.

"So what? Just like the Secretary she's named Olivia Dunham too and she's like me but better?"

"You wouldn't understand. I need to see Bell please." Groaning and protesting she still led him to her car.

"Come on, we have a long way" and they were headed to Intrepus, where _Olivia_ thought they were going to find William Bell.

* * *

><p><em>Intrepus Head Offices, Manhattan, NY<br>__9 am_

"Sir you can't go in there" Danielle almost shouted, following him as he swallowed his steps, not really caring.

He burst through the door of Nina's office, slamming it right after him so that no one –not his men, not her receptionist- could walk into it. Nina, who was distracted interpreting statistics and reading other documents spread all over her desk, rose from her chair abruptly.

"What is this?" As he approached her desk Nina saw the door open and Danielle come in. She read an _"I'm sorry"_ on her lips. "Thank you Danielle. Please give us a few minutes alone" Nina said in a formal tone, always keeping her composure, and dismissed her.

"I know what you did. How dare you interfere with my work?" Walter spoke before she even turned to face him.

"Walter, what are you talking about? What is this accusation?"

"The last purchase… Those drugs were altered! Do you think I was never going to figure it out? Why do you keep trying to rule me? Who do you think you are to mess with my life?

At the rough words, Nina felt forced to talk back. "I'm sorry Walter, but this is not about you. It stopped being about you a long time ago. My major priority right now is this company, and your company is our biggest customer. I wouldn't do anything that could put that in risk because then I'd be risking my own company."

Walter looked down and remained silent. Her words made sense, and at the same time it hurt.

"Walter…" She sounded even a little regretful. "What is it Walter? What's going on?"

"…I'm about to make a huge discovery, I'm about to heal our world" He spoke fast, almost thinking aloud. For most, his train of thought would have been simply incoherent, impossible to understand, but not for her. "I was so close…just" He kept mumbling some words. "So close"

"Walt- What- What are you talking about?" As far as Nina knew, _the_ universe was breaking down, yes, but there was –apparently- no turning back, no way to fix it.

"Walter" She spoke louder, and turned around her desk, towards him, but he immediately pulled back.

"You don't get it! You'll never understand! So don't try to convince me! I know what I'm doing, I'm not the stupid and weak man you think I am" He raised the tone of his voice clearly turning his anger and disappointment towards her. "I'm healing the world God damn it! Don't you see it?"

"Walter whatever you think you're doing, it can't be safe. William Bell himself told me that-" He cut her off.

"You and William Bell…What does he know? What does he know that you always believed him? _He won't _save the universe, _I _will. And I hope one day you thank me!" He stormed out of the room.

Nina remained there; he hadn't told her much, but it was easy for her to see that whatever he had in mind was big, and dangerous. And the answers she never demanded before, she was now willing to get them, at any cost. If Bell wanted her to keep cooperating with him, then he was going to have to do some explaining.

* * *

><p><em>Intrepus Head Offices, Manhattan, NY<br>__Main entrance_

Peter and _Olivia _finally made it to New York to try and find Bell, who was, -according to her- still running a prestigious company, Intrepus. She parked her car two blocks away, and decided that it was better for them to walk all the way there, to try and blend in. Acting like fugitives was not going to help in this case, wearing sunglasses or covering their heads with the caps of their hoodies was only going to make them stand out among the crowd.

They were about to cross the street when _Olivia_ saw his limo parked at the entrance, and worse, she saw him, closing his black umbrella, getting inside the extravagant vehicle.

"Psss…Hey, stop" She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back to her before he could cross the street and basically turn himself in. He looked back at her, not really understanding what was going on.

"What is it?"

"That's the Secretary's car right there" She pointed at the limo. "You sure she told you you had to see William Bell? I heard he and the Secretary were close…"

"She said I had to find him and so I will" The way she doubted the other her made those words come out of his mouth angrily. "Come on" He said once he saw that the limo had driven off.

She made her way in, and he followed, walking behind her all the time as she acted like a confident agent on duty. She walked by the reception desk and he tried to keep it up and do as he did every time he had gone on a mission with _his_ Olivia. _Confidence is everything_.

"Agent Dunham, Fringe Division" She flashed her credentials. "We're here to see Dr. William Bell"

"I'm sorry" Said the receptionist. "Doctor Bell doesn't work here anymore…" Before the young woman finished explaining they heard a _sharp_ voice calling her name, which made her startle.

"Agent Dunham! What a pleasure to see you" They both turned around to see Nina Sharp.


End file.
